Battery terminal clamp



K. F. BROWN BATTERY TERMINAL CLAMP June 1l, 1940.

Filed July 30, 1937 Patented June 11, 1940 PATENT orFlcl-il 2,201289BATTERY TERMINAL CLAMP Kenneth F. Brown, Burbank, Calif., assigner toNational Cable & Metal Co., Glendale, Calif., a corporation ofCalifornia l Appiiauon July 3o, 1937, serial No. 156,507

Z Claims.

This invention relates to and has for an object the provision of abattery terminal clamp or connector which is constructed so thatit maybe securely clamped upon and uniformly engaged and maintained in perfectelectrical contact with a battery terminal Without being bent, distortedor damaged, or damaging the battery terminal 4 or renderingthe clampdiiiicult of removal and replacement. w Another object is to provide aterminal clamp such as described, which makes for easier and morereliable installations and eliminates the gouging and damaging of thebattery terminals, uneven contacts and consequent electrical con- 15nection failures, by reason of means located outwardly of the clampingbolt for causing an effective application of` the clamping forceswithout distorting the clamp.

I have shown in the accompanying drawing a zu preferred Aform of batteryterminal clamp embodying'my invention, subject, however, to modication,within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from thespirit of my invention.

Referring to the drawing: z5 Fig. l represents a fragmentary sectionalview of the present-day type of clamp, showing the distortion caused byexcessive tightening thereof, Fig. 2 is a fragmentary cross sectionalview of the clamp or connector of this invention, as .o when applied toa battery terminal,

Fig. 3 is a top plan viewof the clamp or connector of this invention, aswhen removed,

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the clamp shown in Fig. 3, uFig. 5 isa side elevation oi the clamp shown in Fig. 3, and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the clamp applied tothe terminal Iof a battery. o l One embodiment of the battery terminalconnectoror clamp of this invention, as shown inl detail in theaccompanying drawing, comprises an apertured, radially split body 'lhaving an integral socket 8 for a iiexible conductor 9, and formed withopposed lugs ID extended outwardly from opposite sides of the split. Thelugs- Ill are provided with transverse and a'igned bolt receivingopenings I I and with laterally extended abutments I2 on the opposedfaces thereof. These abutments are outwardly-spaced from the openings IIand extend in the direction of/one another so that they will engage ormeet upon thetightening and clamping of the body I around a batteryterminal A of a battery B, as particuu larly shown in Figs. 2 and 6.

lugs, as well as the ends of the jaws.

(ci. ris-259) It is now seen that the connector or clamp of thisinvention may be molded, cast, die stamped, or otherwise produced inone-piece form, such that the split body l defines two arcuate jaws 'laand 1b, having the lugs IIJ, or what may be I considered as the jawends, extended outwardly from the jaws proper, and the abutments I2vextended laterally from opposed faces of said lugs or ends at pointsspaced outwardly from the bolt receiving openings I I. 10

l'I'he connector is clamped around the battery terminal'by means of abolt lI3 which is extended through the openings II, and has a nut I4adjustable thereon in the customary manner.

The abutments I2 in being spaced outwardly 15 from the bolt I 3, willengage one another and hold apart the other opposedv portions of theThis arrangement causes the force or leverage applied by the bolt tocontract the body 'l uniformly with- 0 out causing distortion thereof orof the lugs. v

As shown/in Fig. 1, when the nut I5 of the conventional clamp it istightened excessively or as is necessary to secure the clamp on thebattery terminal Il, the jaws of the clamp, as nu Well as the lugs Il!thereof, and bolt I9 are often bent and distorted. Moreover, the ends ofthe jaws will bite into and distort the battery terminal, due to thefact that the llugs will bend and force the ends ang-ularly into theterminal. By 3o comparison with my improved clamp shown in Fig. 2, it isseen that tightening of the nut of the latter will cause a uniformclamping action without bending or distorting of the parts of the clamp,due primarily to the peculiar leverageac- 3e tion which results fromhaving the abutment portions I2 arranged to engage one another at pointsoutwardly 'of the bolt. Should excessive pressure be applied to anextent that might cause the lugs to bend or distort, this would tend to,la bring the arcuate vjaws together arcuately and uniformly as isdesired, and without distortion, due to the peculiar application of theclamping forces'as aforesaid, and the battery terminal will not begouged or distorted, as shown in Fig. l. 4,5

While I have shown two abutments I2, it is obvious that one laterallyextending and somewhat larger abutment rnay be employed for the samepurpose as said two abutments.

I claim: to

1. A battery terminal clamp comprising an apertured, radially split bodyadapted to be yclamped around a battery terminal, alined lugs vided withtransverse bolt receiving openings, y laterally extending alinedabutment portions of substantially uniform length, carried by said lugsat the free ends thereof and adapted to Contact.

one another when said lugs are moved towards l one another, and means onsaid body affording A,a batteryv terminal and being capable ofdeformation when tightly clamped, opposed spaced lugs formed integralwith and extending outwardly from said body on opposite sides of thesplit thereof and being -also capable of deformation when tightlyclamped, said lugs having bolt receiving openings, and opposed'abutmentportions for'med integral with and extending from opposed faces of saidlugs ,at/ points spaced outwardly from said openings"` and arranged toabut at a g point which ison the center line of the clamp and alsosubstantially centrally of the space between said lugs, to preventunequal deformation of said lugs and said body when said lugs are drawntowards one another for .tightly clamping the body on a batteryterminal.

KENNETH F. BROWN.

